This is the third release from Fine
Molds (or Finemolds as some say) out of Japan. After their immensely successful
X-wing and TIE, this was a definite for many modelers. This was also the
first licensed kit to be released for Episode II. The detail on this kit
is just as great as the first two and it definitely lives up to the reputation
of Fine Molds One thing that I didn't really like about this kit was the
size. The Jedi Starfighter is small to begin with, and at 1/72 it is just
around 4 inches long. That's kind of disappointing. The Hyperspace Ring
makes up for it as it adds some bulk. You kind of get two kits for the
price of one. They can be displayed separately or together. The Starfighter
fits snugly inside the ring and can be taken out again after if you like.
Probably the second thing people notice about this kit, besides the size,
is the decals. This kit came with a whopping 178 decals!! There was little
to no painting involved. At first I didn't really like this idea, but
after doing the decaling I changed my mind. The designs are so complex
that it would be impossible to paint, trust me! Decaling is what took
the longest by far. Assembly was blindingly fast. There are very few parts.
There was a little bit of a fit problem on the two body halves of the
Starfighter, but this is covered by the decals. After assembly I painted
the few parts that needed it (engines, cockpit, Obi-Wan, R4 and various
small details) and went on to decaling. After that immense task was done
I weathered the ship. The Jedi Starfighter is actually a lot more beat
up that people realize. It's kind of the sam situation with the Naboo
Starfighter. To weather, I dry brushed a lot of grays, blacks and smoky
colors. I then brushed a little chalk along the edges of the Starfighter.
This came out really nice. It is kind of washed out in most pics but some
of it can be seen on the front of the Starfighter in the second picture
there of the starboard side of the Starfighter. I also chipped the decals
with an X-ACTO and added some dirt spots here and there. Overall this
was an awesome kit that, despite it's size, looks really good. It will
look great next to Fine Molds Slave I! I got this kit from HLJ online
for around $30 or so.